The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved an extension to its temporary housing for Camp Fire survivors until May 12, 2021.

Representatives from FEMA and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services confirmed the decision to this newspaper on Thursday morning.

Currently, there are 387 households in temporary housing units provided by FEMA at group sites in Chico, Oroville and Gridley and commercial parks across Northern California, according to FEMA spokesman Victor Inge. Every month, some leave when they’ve found permanent housing. The others must show FEMA that they are searching.

Previously, the program had been slated to end on May 12, 2020, which is 18 months after the federal disaster declaration. The state requested an extension because local jurisdictions were concerned about making people homeless. In the past few months, local nonprofits and government officials had started discussing options to buy the temporary housing units or sell them to occupants in anticipation of the deadline expiring on May 12.

Now, those households will get a reprieve.

There will be one change. After May 12, 2020, FEMA will start charging households some rent to cover the costs and routine maintenance services provided by free until then by the government, previously explained Michael Flores, a FEMA spokesperson. The rent will be based on Department of Housing and Urban Development fair market rates and each household’s circumstances.

Camille von Kaenel covers Camp Fire recovery. She is a corps member with Report for America, a national non-profit organization that helps fund local journalists. She's happy to be back hiking the hills and mountains of her home state of California.